1:32 Martin-Baker Mk.9 ejection seat

The marque that became a synonym for saving the pilot

The Martin-Baker works came about in 1934 as the design shop of the pair James Martin and Valentine Baker. After Baker was killed in a test flight of a prototype, the firm turned to the subject it has devoted itself to exclusively ever since: how to get a man out of an aircraft that can no longer be held. The first live ejection from a test rig took place in 1946, and the marque has carried its individual generations under sequence numbers ever since.

What the seat is made up of

The load-bearing part is a twin beam up which the shell rises. The movement is started by a telescopic ejection gun, and on it follows a rocket pack under the cushion, which assures enough height even in a launch from the ground. A small mortar fires out the drogue chute and a barostatic unit releases the main canopy according to the altitude. In the pan beneath the pilot sits a pack with equipment for survival at sea as well as on land. The whole thing therefore carries its own propulsion, its own timing and its own supplies, without needing anything from the aircraft.

A casting for a large scale

The set brings the Mk.9 seat in one-piece resin. The large format is rewarding for this kind of accessory, because the individual straps, the safety handle and the shaping of the headrest stay legible on the shell. In color the frame tends to be dark gray to black and the cushion and backrest a khaki or olive shade; the yellow and black striping on the handle gives the cabin an accent that every viewer notices at first glance.